#things. do not end very well but at least joaquin is still alive afterwards!

[ab-horror]

thinking abt vincent having his own little venom arc after he loses his powers bc he genuinely cannot handle being 'useless' in the grand scheme of things because hes. hes just a guy now. a human guy with nothing to his name but hes still surrounded by all these strong and powerful people

so when something major happens and he cant fathom just sitting by and doing nothing well. there are always more. unsavory methods to getting power

like getting possessed by a shade

and i know just the one!!

[vanillaflavour81]

Forgive me brother - Kangs and past Joavin fic

Forgive me brother (read it here or at AO3)

Summary: Fangs has feelings for Kevin and wants to take the next step by asking Kevin to be his date to prom. But before he can do that he has to visit Joaquin's grave and let his dead friend know about his plans.

Fangs and Sweet Pea had buried Joaquin in a quiet place in the woods. They had made the decision after Jughead had left. The other option would have been to call the sheriff, but the thought of their brother, who already had to endure so much suffering, ending up on a cold autopsy table hadn't been a thought they could bear.

And so they had picked up Joaquin's lifeless body and carried him deep into the forest, walking on the trails of their childhood. All three of them had used to play here as kids when life on the Southside became too much and they needed to escape for a few hours to play hide and seek in between the tall trees.

Fangs had cried all the way, feeling guiltier than he ever had before. He had failed his friend. He should have done the right thing, should have said no when Jughead asked them to hunt Joaquin down and force him to spill G&G secrets. The very least they could have done was to make sure afterward that Joaquin was ok. They should have brought him to the bus stop, put him onto the next bus out of town, and made sure he would be safe.

Instead, they had just left him there, and the next time they would see him he'd be on the Serpent throne, eyes staring unseeingly into space and lips blue from that damned liquid in the G&G chalice.

It had taken the whole day until they had buried Joaquin. By the time they had finished the sun was already setting, but they didn't go back yet. Instead, they had stayed the entire night, setting up a makeshift headstone out of a little rock they found, working on it with their knives until it had a small inscription:

"Joaquin. Serpent, brother, friend. Never forgotten."

Fangs returned to this grave many times, feeling guilty and trying to make amends by sitting here and talking to Joaquin. He told him about his life, the Serpents, school, and about Kevin, of course, the love of Joaquin's life.

Joaquin and Fangs had been close friends. Joaquin had helped him a lot when Fangs had realized he wasn't only into girls, and when Fangs' mom had gotten sick, Joaquin had been there for him, knowing how Fangs felt because Joaquin had been through the same.

They had been pretty alike, both the tough Southsider on the one side, doing anything they had to do to survive, both sure that they wanted to join the Serpents from a young age. But they had shared another side too, a softer side.

Joaquin had talked about Kevin nonstop, so head over heels in love with the last person he should have fallen for, the sheriff's son. However, Fangs had never told his friend to give Kevin up. It had been so obvious that the preppy boy from the Northside was Joaquin's everything, his hopeful light. Fangs had supported their relationship, had listened to Joaquin gush about Kevin, and Fangs had wished him good luck.

He had kept an eye on Kevin after Joaquin had to leave town, feeling responsible for making sure the boy his friend loved so much was ok.

A little smile crept over Fangs' face as he remembered that time. Kevin had turned his attempts at becoming friends down repeatedly, and Fangs would never forget Kevin's face when he found out Fangs and Joaquin were friends. He looked almost comical. Fangs had laughed about it later on with Sweet Pea until his stomach hurt.

Back then they all had still thought things between Kevin and Joaquin would work out one day. Fangs had been convinced that Joaquin would come back and that he and Kevin would be boyfriends again. They had been a sweet couple, and it had seemed as if they belonged together no matter what.

But of course, death took that away.

Fangs had made sure that he was there when Kevin found out. He had tried his best to help him and hugged Kevin, using all his strength to hold him, when Kevin was struggling and trying to push him off, so desperate in his grief. But Fangs had held onto Kevin and whispered to him how much Joaquin had loved him and that no one could ever take that away from Kevin.

Fangs had told Kevin the whole truth and allowed the other boy to hit him when he had heard about the events leading up to Joaquin's death. It had felt good to finally get this reaction. Kevin had been screaming at him, punching him, furious that Fangs hadn't protected Joaquin. He gave Fangs a huge black eye, and Fangs had worn it like a trophy. He deserved it, and he was glad Kevin had done it.

Once Kevin's anger had faded and his grief had turned quieter, Fangs had brought him into the woods to Joaquin's grave, where Kevin had been able to say goodbye to his first love.

Kevin and Joaquin had already been separated for a long time, and Kevin had even started something with Moose in the meantime, but everyone who had seen Kevin's face after he had met Joaquin during his escape from juvie knew that Joaquin would always mean a lot to him. It was only fair that he could come here and be close to Joaquin whenever he felt the need to do so. It was also something Fangs wanted for Joaquin. The thought of Joaquin having his hopeful light here in front of his grave was comforting.

The months passed. Fangs still visited Joaquin's grave frequently, telling his brother about what was going on in Riverdale. It was a dark story, but he always included funny little things that had happened, something Sweet Pea said, or some joke Fangs had seen on tv. And he talked about Kevin.

Fangs had stayed close to him after what had happened to Joaquin. He watched Kevin date Moose, witnessed him being miserable when Moose didn't want to be seen in public with him, saw him be happy for a few days after Moose finally came out and watched him turn sad again after Moose left him to live somewhere else.

Fangs tried his best to cheer Kevin up, but it wasn't until they worked on the musical and both befriended Evelyn that they became more than just acquaintances.

At first, it was a farm thing. They were both high after eating Evelyn's brownies, and they practiced for the musical, getting really into the love song they were singing. The kiss happened in the heat of the moment. Afterward, they both didn't know what to do with it. But after a few awkward days, they started to talk again as friends. They spent more and more time together, and Fangs realized that he really liked Kevin a lot.

They kissed again, this time without the influence of drugs, and that turned into casual dates, going to Pop's for milkshakes and watching movies together in the Bijou. It wasn't quite clear what they were, just really close friends who liked to make out or something more. But Fangs knew that it definitely meant more for him.

Prom was coming up, and Fangs wanted to ask Kevin to be his date. He already had a plan, but somehow he was still hesitant, and it wasn't because he was nervous or feared rejection. It was because of Joaquin.

Going to prom with Kevin would mean a serious step in their relationship. It would mean that they would be on the path to becoming official boyfriends. At least that was how Fangs saw it. He wanted to be Kevin's boyfriend, but he needed to talk to Joaquin first.

And so he went into the woods once again, crouching down before his friend's grave.

"Hey, Joaquin. I have to tell you something. I already told you about Kevin and me... about the kiss right? And that we were flirting a bit and spending time together. Well, it has become more than that. To me at least."

He took a deep breath, looking at the headstone Sweet Pea and he had put into the soil, reading the inscription again and again. Yes, Joaquin had been his friend, his brother. He would always be, and Fangs owed him an explanation. He continued in a slightly hoarse voice, thick with emotion.

"I know how much you loved Kevin. And he loved you. I am so sorry that the two of you never got a second chance.."

He trailed off, biting his lip and looking away from the little headstone, letting his gaze travel over the trees, taking a moment to listen to the birds chirping. It was a peaceful place, and he sure hoped he wouldn't disturb this peace by what he was about to do.

He gulped hard and turned back to look at the grave, continuing with what he had come here for.

"I love him too. I never would have given in to those feelings if you were still alive, Joaquin, but... I... I fell in love with Kevin, and I want to be his boyfriend. I promise you that I will take good care of him. I will give everything to make him happy. I will be there for him, listen to his problems, try to cheer him up, and I will keep your memory alive. I will let him know that he can talk to me about you. I will bring you up, you will always be a part of his life and of mine. We will remember you together."

He felt relief wash over him after saying all this out loud. A few tears were running down his cheeks by now, dripping down onto the wildflowers that were growing on Joaquin's grave.

Fangs stayed silent for several minutes, just looking at the flowers, putting one hand onto the ground to steady himself. Nothing happened, no storm came up, no lightning struck, no wild animal jumped out of the trees to attack him. He chuckled quietly. What had he been expecting? It was stupid. Of course, nothing would happen. But he had done the right thing by telling Joaquin about him and Kevin, he was convinced of this.

Fangs wiped the rest of the tears away with the sleeve of his Serpent jacket, feeling much more at peace now and ready to head back to prepare everything for his surprise for Kevin. A smile was spreading over his face as he thought about what he had planned. He got to his feet again and smiled at Joaquin's headstone, giving his old friend a little salute.

"I am going to give him the best promposal ever, bro. You would be proud of me. I'll tell you about his reaction. Or maybe he should tell you himself. I'll make sure to send him over!"

Thank you so much to my beta reader @sa5nthunderheadrev

[sassycabs]

Joker (2019)

Joker (2019): Straight White Male™ approaches the point (and then misses it entirely)

I’ll put a disclaimer right here that these were my thoughts right after the movie, after filtering and some research on the director. But other than that, all the “research” I did was watch Jenny Nicholson’s Youtube reaction video and that’s it. You should go watch that too.

There’s only 2 things I can say that’s good with this movie: (1) Joaquin Phoenix giving his all and (2) Kill The Rich. Let’s get it off the table, Joaquin Phoenix is bomb ass hot shit and he worked very hard in this movie and yes, if we’re jugding his method acting alone, and not the character, plot, or writing, it deserves the praise it’s getting. Now with that out of the way, wow, Joker is just plagued with droning writing, unimpressive directing, and an either missed or uncommitted political point. Oh, and so much dancing.

“Oh great, more dancing”

By the third time Arthur dances, I said out loud, “Who directed this movie? What are his other movies?” The answer is: Todd Phillips. He also co-wrote and co-produced the entire movie. Who is he? Well he directed all three Hangover movies. When was the last Friday night when you thought, “Oh, hey, I should re-watch The Hangover 2 tonight! You know, that one with the exact same plot and jokes as Hangover 1, but in a different country or something?” Other impressive movies in his IMDB resume include Starsky and Hutch and Due Date. So, from his previous work, we know his brand of movies isn’t really drama the way James Mangold could’ve been seen as candidate to direct Logan. There were so many scenes that could’ve been cut and the film would still make sense. We’re not here to watch some kind of Waiting For Godot and see the film make its point twice every time. This movie could have been 1 and a half hours long, with better writing and direction. The scenes drone on and on, either continuing after the point of the sequence is made or makes you wait for the point to be made. Just a quick but important example is the scene where Arthur practices his appearance in the (late night show), there’s probably a good minute that could have been cut and we would still understand “the plan”. Other quick mentions include the intro, Arthur’s first “beating”, the actual ending scene, and all the dancing, oh, god, all the dancing.

Now let’s get to those pointless intros and the ending that should’ve ended up as a bonus on the DVD. Why did we have to show Arthur putting on his make-up and crying? To find out that he’s not happy? That’s all the does and talks about throughout the movie, we don’t need this. Why do we need to have a close-up of Arthur telling some social worker that she doesn’t get “it” and then (presumably) kills her? To know that he’s crazy? We already know that, he just shot Murray. To try to mind blow the audience that maybe the entire movie was in Arthur’s head? Well, if that’s it, that just wasted the entire movie. There’s a lot of time wasted to re-tell points that are better established in other scenes.

Now, we have to address the dancing. Why is there so much dancing? Maybe it was for art, dramatic effect, or just a way to put markers on when Arthur is going crazy. But what would have been more dramatic, if we saw that when Arthur killed those three rich dudes, we was still shaken up. If we saw that he was scared and confused that he could do such a thing instead of outright accepting it, he could be more empathetic. The audience would think, “O, shit, he’s still human.” But from there, the story builds up with the other scenes showing Arthur’s “descent into madness.” And when he murders Frank, and the whole scene was maintained, if he was cool and nonchalant about it, then proceeds with the only dance sequence of the movie, that would have made it special. The audience would have thought, “O shit, he lost it.” All the dancing during the moments of madness take away the descent to it. As an origin story for a villain, we don’t start with a crazy person. It’s supposed to be a process, if it wasn’t, then DC and Todd Phillips should’ve just given us “A Day In The Life Of The Joker: The Movie.” Spiderman: Homecoming did a better job at introducing Vulture and it was an origin story for Spiderman. A dance, a flooding with music, and the police chasing Arthur with Arthur totally not afraid of them, that would have been chilling, inhuman, and detached.

“I'm not political, I just want to make people laugh.”

Well he got that right. For saying something as bold as “Kill The Rich,” the movie doesn’t fully commit to that statement. The Joker is just a dude who wants to toy with Batman, so yeah, he’s pretty apolitical. But there are better ways of having a non-political character with selfish interests inspire political outrages. Katniss Everdeen (yes, it’s 1:06 AM and she’s the only one I can think of right now) just didn’t want her sister to die but she ended up the face of District 13 propaganda. To say “Kill The Rich” means to, at least at some level, examine why we should and how the rich ended up where they are and Arthur and people like him ended up where they are; but Joker did none of that. For all the talk about “the system,” all we get is Thomas Wayne calling the people of Gotham “clowns” (which is furthest from the worst a politician running for any office position could do); a poor, broke, delusional Penny Fleck (and hey, if you were Thomas Wayne would you have handle that situation better?) and some throwaway lines about how “the rich are bad.” Well, hell yeah, the rich are bad, but there is an assumption that the audience knows the political nuances of class struggle so that the film doesn’t have to commit to it fully. Why are they, in this instance, in Gotham, for Arthur, bad? In most instances that Arthur was abused, it was always the people around him in the same situation. Never do we see on screen how the rich people are “bad” because the movie frames everyone except Arthur as, pretty much, bad. Arthur didn’t know who those guys in the train were, they were just some guys in suits. Additionally, his motivation of murdering them was because they were assholes to him, not because he knew that they had money and he didn’t. But then afterwards Arthur tells his fake girlfriend that he thinks the murderer is a hero, with the pre-empting thought to be “fuck those rich guys.” The whole conversation was in his head, so does he or does he not think that rich people deserve to die? Scott Silver and Todd Phillips were approaching the point, especially with the Late Night Show sequence. But it feels like there’s a disconnect between Arthur talking about how “nobody is civil anymore” because he was abused and the people just accepting that some clown who murdered three rich guys will be the face of their revolution against the rich. The connection can easily be made, you can make it in your head, but there was just a lot more dancing and laughing happening instead of showing how people the people of Gotham got to that conclusion.

This movie could have gotten two points across: “this is how the joker was made” and “this is how the jokers are made”. Because that’s the point of the Joker right? Anyone can become a Joker aka “All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.” They ticked one off the list, but everything else was a reach to get to something political or some kind of social commentary, but just ended up with a bad taste in my mouth and I hope I’m not the only one.